Clutch.



CLUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAYB. 1918. 1,299,258., lalt'uivd Apr. 1,1919.

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. 'genieen fr. swarm, or mNNEAroLIs, MINNESOTA.

CLUTC.

vSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr.. 1, i919..

Application led May 8,1918. Serial No, 233,264.

vTo all *wkome't may concern:

BQitk'nown thatfI, GEORGE T. STRITE, a citi'zengffofthe=4 United States,residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and StateofMinnesota,fhave invented certain new and useful Improvementsin'Clutches, of lwhich the following is a specification. v

" invention relateslto clutches and thev eration and in whichther isno;en

at any time. f v, v The -full'objects nd ;vantages of my 1nvention willappear lin connectinfwit'li the detailedk descriptionth'ereof andareZpartif'zu-r larly pointed outfinjthelaims, Y

Referring to the Vdrawings#-vvhich:illustrate the application"ofmy`invention inkone forumy y A .r

Figure 1 is a view in cent'ral-jlongitudinal'-` section showing theclutch 4in' engaged-position. Fig. 2 is a section'on'the line 2-2 ofFig. l.' Fig. 3 isa sectionon the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig 4 is aplanview of the' clutchoperatihg' mechanism'. Fig. 5 .is a section on thevline 5 5 of Fig. 1, but showing the clutch in disengaged position.y

While my clutch may be used in various mechanisms, it is intended foruse in tractors particularly. Forvthis reason I have shown 1t inconnection with an engine shaft l0 having a flange 12 on its outer endto whichis secured by bolts 14 an annular member16 on the periphery ofwhich is a fly-wheel 18. A driven shaft 20 has one of its ends ldjacentthe outer end of the driving shaht 10 and supported by a ball bearingconstituted by balls 22 located between a raceway on the end of thedriven shaft and a raceway on the inner circumference of the annularmember 16. The fly-wheel is provided with an internal coned surface24and an annular member 26is secured by bolts 28 to the outer edge of thefly-wheel. The annular member is offset v to provide a coned surface 30which is opposed to the coned surface 24 so that the iiywheel is in thismanner provided with two coned surfaces having their bases adjacent butseparated by a gap members 16 and 26, together with theflywheel, form achamber which may be sup plied with oil from time vto time by unscrewinga plug 34 which is designed to fit a screw-threaded opening in themember 26.

A clutch member is provided with a coned lectisfto provide 'a device ofthis `kind which .shall line-simple and durable .incon- 1 struction,veficient.v and n self-"adjusting in l op- 32. The annular flange 36 tocoperate with the coned surface 24, and this flange is connected by anannular member 38 to a sleeve 40 splined on the shaft 20 by splines 42.Another clutch member is provided with a coned flange 44 to co operatewith the coned surface 30, and this flange is connected by an annularmember 46 having an offset portion 48l to a sleeve 50 splined on thesleeve 40 by splines 52. The annular members 38 and 46 are provided withopenings 54 and 56, respectively, to permit'free movement of oi'l in thechamber; andthe two members are normally urged apart by a stiff helicalspring 58 positioned between them and surrounding the sleeves 40 and 50.It is obvious that this spring when allowed to act will bring the twosets of coned surfaces into firmengaging position. In order to bring theclutch members out of clutched position the following clutch-operatingmechanism is provided. The outer 6nd of the sleeve 40 is screw-threadedto receive a screw-threadedsplit ring 60 'which may be locked in lace bya bolt 62 passing through offset ends of the split ring and a lockingplate 64, the end of which extends into a longitudinal groove in thescrew threads on the sleeve. A washer 66 inside of the ring 60 surroundsthe sleeve 50. The aimular member 26 is rovided with a flange 68 fittingupon the o set portion 48. Also surrounding the sleeve 50 1s a washer 70adjacent the end of the offset portion and separated therefrom by aliber washer 72. Located between the two washers 66 and 70 is a doublecam 74 secured to the end of a ro- "tatable rod 76 which is mounted in atubular bearing 78 bolted to the housing 80 which entirely surrounds theclutch. To the upper end of the rod 76 is secured an arm 82 to which ispivotally connected an operating rod 84. A spring 86 secured to thehousing andto the arm normally holds the latter against a stop 88 on thehousing. When the rod 84 is drawn intov the dotted position shown inFig. 4, the cam 74 is turned into the positionshown in Fig. 5, and thecam forces the sleeve' 40 and its attached clutching member to theright, as viewed in Fig. 1, and at the same time forces the sleeve 50and its attached clutching member to the left, thereby causing completeunclutcliing action in opposition to the tension of the spring 58.

`The operation and advantages of my invention will be obvious from theforegoing description. A double-coned clutch is provided Which has anexceedingly large friction clutching surface, and since the clutch outrenewal except at long intervals of time,

and the clutch is entirely lnclosed so as to be dustproof. Wear is,therefore, reduced to a minimum and a structure is provided in Whichthere is no end thrust at any time.

I claim: c

LNA clutch comprising a driving shaft, a clutch member secured theretohaving two coned surfaces, two clutch members coperating with said firstmentioned clutch member, a driven shaft upon which said coperatin clutchmembers are non-rotatably and slida 1y mounted, a spring interposedbetween said coperating clutch members for normally holding the clutchmembers in engagement, opposed annular members connected respectively tosaid cooperating clutch members and forming an annular groove, a housingsurrounding all of the clutch members, a rod rotatably mounted in saidhousing, and means secured to the lend of said rod and positioned insaid annular groove to cause the coperating clutch members to approacheach other in opposition to the tension 'of said spring When said rod isturned. y

2. A clutch comprising a driving shaft, a clutch member secured theretohaving two coned surfaces, a driven shaft, a sleeve splined on saiddriven shaft, a clutch member mounted on said sleeve for coperation withone of said cone surfaces, a second sleeve splined on said rst mentionedsleeve, a clutch member mounted on said second sleeve for coperationwith the other of said cone surfaces, a helical spring surrounding saidsleeves andnormally holding the clutch .members in engagement, opposedannular members on said sleeves forming an annular groove, `a housingsurrounding all of the clutch members, a rod rotatably mounted in saidhousing, and means secured to the end of said rod and positioned in saidannular groove to cause the splined clutch members to approach eachother in opposition to the tension of said spring When said rod isturned.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aix my signature.

GEORGE T. sTRirE.

